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Terry Francona's path might very well end with a stop in Cooperstown

Terry Francona sat in his office with a litany of cards and sheets of information spread out in front of him, watching whatever baseball game happened to be on. It had been hours since he first arrived at Fenway Park, and now all that was standing in the way of managing his 1,925 game in a Red Sox uniform was 60 minutes, along with the usual pregame trash talk with Dustin Pedroia.

The preparation had been done, the players were put in place, and Francona was at peace with what lay ahead, which just so happened to be his 1,000th win as a big league manager.

Just another day.

"I don’t think it’s that big of a deal," Francona said. "I really don’t. It’s really not that big of a deal. I’m appreciative of the opportunity I have because I really caught a break. This is a great organization with a lot of great players. I’m really fortunate. Other than that, I’d like to keep the perspective on the players."

But what the events taking place two turnpikes away Sunday in Cooperstown should remind us is that this is not just another manager. There is a very realistic possibility we could be talking about baseball's 20th Hall of Fame manager.

There have been 57 managers to win 1,000 games. That's not why the topic of baseball immortality is being brought up. What should be noted is that eight managers have won three World Series titles, with seven already residing in the Hall of Fame and one [Joe Torre] scheduled to arrived in just a few years.

Francona's .532 winning percentage is fourth-best among active managers, with just Davey Johnson, Mike Scioscia and Tony LaRussa besting the mark. He is the eighth active skipper to reach 1,000 wins. But it is only LaRussa who carries what the Red Sox manager possesses -- two World Series rings.

If a third title comes his way -- which, as we sit here, appears to be a very real possibility -- the man who seamlessly guided the Red Sox to their 61st victory Saturday night will be a Hall-of-Famer.

Twenty years ago, Francona had initially stiff-armed the opportunity to become a 32-year-old manager in favor of trying to fight through ankle and knee injuries in an attempt to try and make the St. Louis Cardinals. That didn't work out. Managing has.

As his players pointed out after the Red Sox' 3-1 win over Seattle, the 1,000 wins was certainly worth pausing the season's treadmill for.

“When you win 1,000 games, that means you’re on top of your game," David Ortiz said. "It’s great. He’s been awesome through the years here. Watching him get to that point with the Red Sox is just something very special.

“He’s just a guy that doesn’t have that many rules, he just tells you to get prepared to play the game, be on time and that’s about it.”

“If he were a pitcher it would be more impressive," Saturday's winning pitcher, Josh Beckett, quipped. "Yeah, it’s a big deal, it’s a milestone. I don’t think he’s necessarily trying to hang it up yet.”

"Guys congratulated him. We’re all happy for him," Jacoby Ellsbury said. "That’s a lot of wins. He definitely earned it and we were definitely proud to be on the field for the 1,000th."

"It’s huge. A thousand wins, not many people can say that," noted Daniel Bard. "Just a testament to him grinding it out and just maintaining and dealing with the personalities. We’re happy for him."

Francona is humbled when mentioning the other names in the 1,000-win club. But what he should understand that this is just the beginning. The Red Sox manager has earned the right to referenced among the game's elite.

The wins are just a piece of the Hall of Fame puzzle. It gets Francona to the door, but not through it. For LaRussa, the key to the upstate New York castle might be in his pocket regardless of that third World Series title considering only two other managers (Connie Mack, John McGraw) have more wins.

But victories won't seal the deal. Jim Leyland, Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy, Johnson, Mike Scioscia, and Jack McKeon are all active managers who have more wins than Francona. Yet all of them, except McKeon, have just one World Series ring, with the Marlins' manager not having a prayer of finding No. 3.

Francona could very well also find himself with the second-most postseason appearances among active managers, equaling the six already garnered by Scioscia and Ron Gardenhire. It would allow to build in an already impressive .622 playoff win percentage (28-17), and perhaps an even more impressive 8-0 mark in World Series play.

We have been reminded, thanks in part to the 1,000th win, the conversation has to be started.

On the surface, the Saturday night victory wouldn't be a good jumping off point for identifying Francona's excellence. Josh Beckett did his thing, as did the usual late-inning participants, Bard and Jonathan Papelbon. One of the team's hottest hitters, Ellsbury, came through when it counted the most, punctuating what would seem to be the inevitable outcome -- a win over a team which has now lost 14 straight.

But it should be noted that the manager did have to manage. Bullpen arms were managed. A clubhouse was managed. And injuries had been managed. Francona had passed another test -- helping the Red Sox win a game, while positioning themselves to win another Sunday.

"I guess I’m more comfortable talking about our players and the team and the organization," Francona said. "You try anyway, but yeah I was happy about it."

Yes, no need to go overboard. Better times, for both Francona and the Red Sox, are a very realistic possibility.

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